Do you think Mark Antony and Cleopatra ever stood a chance of beating Octavian? (war, Egypt)

[Azureth]

They got soundly beaten, but do you think had they done things differently they could have came out on top, or do you think they were always destined to lose no matter what they did?

[bale002]

What's with all these counter-factual questions in what is supposed to be the "history" forum?

Extant records from distant pasts are so spotty that it is extremely difficult to know what actually happened historically beyond the barest outlines.

Counter-factual questions should be moved to other forums such as entertainment, politics and other controversies, great debates, and science fiction.

[Grandstander]

Do you think Mark Antony and Cleopatra ever stood a chance of beating Octavian?

Sure. Octavian could have met with some misadventure, drowned while crossing the sea or such, that would have helped MA & C. Or there could have been a time traveling squadron of F-15s appearing in the skies over Actium, determined to alter the outcome in Antony's favor. Lots of possibilities.

[mkwensky]

If Antony's Parthian campaigns were successful then he could've accumulated enough political capital and money to roll over Octavian.

[Section8UpX68WM6]

Well, Cleopatra retreating and turning tail in the middle of a sea battle back to Egypt didn't help Antony at all.

[cachibatches]

Antonius was a buffoon and Cleopatra ultimately proved not to have the guys, so probably not.

Originally Posted by mkwensky

If Antony's Parthian campaigns were successful then he could've accumulated enough political capital and money to roll over Octavian.

The Parthian war would have been successful has Antonius just stayed out or Ventidius' way. He found they way to pull defeat from victory, because is is a buffoon.

[silibran]

Why don’t you do some research and decide for yourself. Then let us know what you find out.

[guidoLaMoto]

Originally Posted by Section8UpX68WM6

Well, Cleopatra retreating and turning tail in the middle of a sea battle back to Egypt didn't help Antony at all.

Do you think it would have made a difference? I know she was reputed to have a nice asp and all, but her fighting skills were probably pretty limited.

[MyTarge13]

Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto

Do you think it would have made a difference? I know she was reputed to have a nice asp and all, but her fighting skills were probably pretty limited.

I suspect the real issue with Cleopatra leaving the battle was that she took most of her ships with her.